In the fourth year of Chuping's reign, a series of events occurred in Xuzhou. The most intuitive impact on the world was the word "fast".
The march was fast. Wang Yu left Gaotang on February 16th and entered Langya Kingdom three days later. Then on February 20th, he fought with the Taishan bandits in Fulong Valley. Then, on February 21st,
Arrived in Tancheng on the same day.
It wasn't until Wang Yu arrived in Tancheng that the news of his southward journey reached the surrounding princes. It could be said that it was lightning fast.
At the same time, the situation is changing rapidly. One moment, the various forces in Xuzhou are intertwined and intertwined with each other. The next moment, it becomes clear at a glance that we are the enemy and the enemy.
After Wang Yu entered Tancheng, all parties in Xuzhou quickly reached a peace agreement. Although Yuan Shu did not immediately send his troops northward, he changed his previous aggressive posture and took the initiative to withdraw the troops on the border for hundreds of miles.
Ji Ling's army, which originally invaded Xiapi City from the east, retreated from Xiapi to Lu County; Zhang Xun's tribe, which had annexed the southern part of Xiapi, retreated from Suiling to Xiaqiu, a hundred miles away. The situation in Xiapi suddenly became clearer.
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In addition, the war started very quickly.
The Fulong Valley ambush battle could be regarded as a large-scale battle involving nearly ten thousand people, but without any detailed information in advance, the fight suddenly started. In less than two hours, the winner was decided. Then the winner was decided.
, the mutiny and quelling the chaos in Tancheng were all resolved within an hour or two.
Cao Bao marched north to conquer the East China Sea on February 23rd, only two days after Wang Yu arrived in Tancheng! Such a vigorous and resolute style completely deviated from the world's impression of Cao Bao.
You must know that since the third year of Zhongping, he has been entangled with Yuan Shu in Xiapi for more than a year. During this period, he fought countless battles. However, the attrition of both sides was only a few hundred, which shows what kind of fighting style this man has.
This time, he made a quick decision and prepared even faster. From making the final decision to sending his troops north, it only took three days.
As Wei Yan said, if Cao Bao wants to seize the opportunity, other forces are destined to be too late to respond. In two or three days, just the exchange of news will not stop. How about mobilizing an army?
But Wei Yan ignored one person, and that was Que Xuan, who claimed to be the emperor.
Que Xuan raised his troops to attack the East China Sea on the 22nd, one day earlier than Cao Bao. However, the echo between the two armies was very obvious. After all, Quyang was relatively far from Tancheng. If you want to be consistent with Cao Bao, you really have to
Just leave early.
It has to be said that Que Xuan's actions gave Wang Yu a big surprise and also brought him a lot of trouble.
Wang Yu had heard of the emperor in his previous life. In this life, he only heard about it after the opponent raised his troops. But he didn't know enough about it. There was a gap between the time when Que Xuan raised his troops and when Wang Yu went south at Tao Qian's invitation.
It was too short, and there was no time to obtain detailed information. It was even more impossible to predict that Que Xuan would respond to Cao Bao so quickly and send troops to attack.
In the past few days, Wang Yu's main focus has been on understanding Que Xuan. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you be victorious in every battle. For such a strange enemy, Wang Yu was very energetic.
"Quegong was one of the vassal states in the late Shang Dynasty. It was famous for being good at making fine armors, and was also known as Donghu. After the fall of the country, its descendants moved around and settled down in Xiapi, where they became a prominent local family for a long time..."
Completely different from Wang Yu's initial impression, Que Xuan was not a rebel like the Yellow Turbans or Taishan Bandits, but a very famous and powerful family in Xiapi.
The strength of the Xiapique clan is still higher than that of the Chen clan in Guangling, especially since this clan has inherited the skills of their ancestors and has a very high level of craftsmanship.
It's just that the latter is better at planning and has compiled a large network of relationships in Guangling, which has been prosperous for a long time; while the Que family prides itself on its noble blood and rarely interacts with local wealthy families, and is even more cautious about marriages and the like.
Therefore, although it has strong financial resources and a prosperous population, it is not known to the outside world.
"Que Xuan is the current head of the family. He is now in his forties and believes in Buddhism... When Zuo Rong was in Xiapi, the two of them had a close relationship. There are rumors that Zuo Rong once used the Buddha's will to say that the Que family was a famous family in ancient times and has accumulated rich knowledge to this day.
, there is a statue of a dragon and a tiger..." Although he was poorly prepared and in a hurry, Li Shiyi still collected as much relevant information as possible.
"In this case, could it be that Que Xuan's troops are also believers?" Wang Yu frowned. Once something involves religious belief, it will become very troublesome.
Although Zuo Rong failed to make any big waves, it was only because the opponents he encountered were too strong and he himself was not good at military strategy. He failed to fully utilize the combat power of the monk soldiers and collapsed.
Now Que Xuan is in trouble.
Isn't it just a matter of accumulation? A group of people who are good at forging armor have accumulated thousands of years of experience, have lofty ideals, and have faith. The power they can unleash with all their strength must be quite terrifying, right?
"My lord is wise." Li Shiyi's expression wasn't very good either. He originally thought that Que Xuan was just a foot disease and could be easily destroyed. Even if he and Cao Bao attacked from both sides, it wouldn't be a big concern. However, when he actually got to know him, he discovered that,
Que Xuan's threat is not only no worse than Cao Bao's, but is even much stronger.
"Que Xuan gathered a crowd of five thousand, which may not seem to be many, but they are all Que's disciples, and their servants are first-rate. Among them, there are nearly three thousand disciples, all of whom are skilled in martial arts. Among them, two thousand sharp soldiers were selected, armed with heavy armor.
Among them... the disciples of the Que family are all people who have been greatly favored by their family. Like Que Xuan, they believe in Buddhism. They are not afraid of death in battle and are extremely powerful. They are quite similar to the legendary Yellow Turban Warriors..."
As he spoke, he observed Wang Yu's face. Que Xuan's troops were very similar to the Deefeng Battalion led by Xu Huang, but they were much larger in number.
"... In addition to the two thousand heavy armors, there are also a thousand crossbows and two thousand light armors. Their strength cannot be underestimated." It would be okay if it was pure heavy armor. A single unit always has weaknesses, but Que Xuan can't.
The configuration of military units is also very scientific and comprehensive. After listening to Li Shiyi's introduction, even Wei Yan, who had been clamoring to fight, was dumbfounded.
Who would have thought that Que Xuan's strength would be so strong? It's simply unbelievable.
It doesn't matter if there are thousands of people. Any bandit can be as large as Que Xuan's army. But with such a level of armament... not to mention bandits, ordinary princes may not be able to handle it. Only Wang Yu, Cao Cao, and Liu Biao may have it.
This kind of financial and material resources is beyond the reach of others.
Two thousand heavy armored infantry and a thousand powerful crossbows. When Wang Yu resisted the charge of tens of thousands of Xiongnu cavalry in the Gaotang War, his level of armament was not as high as that of Que Xuanjun, but he blocked the desperate charge of tens of thousands of Huns cavalry head-on.
.From this we can imagine how big of a threat Que Xuan's troops are.
Que Xuan's troops alone are not a problem. After all, the opponent's numbers are limited, so they can still try to resist it. The problem is that the Qingzhou Army, which is currently unsteady, is facing a two-pronged attack. Although Cao Bao is not a famous general, the troops under his command are
The 15,000-strong army is not just a decoration.
No matter which enemy army they attack, they will be attacked by another army. The Xuzhou Army in the city has a short time to return, and its own combat power is limited. Defending the city is relatively reliable, but it is difficult to defend the money and food in Maling Mountain.
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The prerequisite for Zhang Jiao's army to move south quickly is this batch of grain and grass. If there is grain in the East China Sea, the army can move forward lightly. If the grain needs to be transferred from Qingzhou, it will take a long time.
Defending the mountain with the entire army is not an option. If two enemy armies meet in one place, with both numerical and equipment advantages, the increase in combat power will be more than doubled.
The situation was so bad that it exceeded everyone's expectations.
"We can only make two-pronged preparations. On the one hand, we can divide our troops to fight, try to delay the enemy's advance, and wait for Langya's reinforcements... If it doesn't work, we can only disperse the money and food among the people. For the time being, we can reorganize the army and retreat." After a long silence, Zhuge Liang
Suddenly he let out a long sigh and said the words that no one wanted to hear.
But this time, even Wei Yan, who liked to flirt with him the most, didn't say anything. Although he felt aggrieved in his heart, the strength of this battle was so different that he had a lot of worries.
If Wang Yu is not here, there is no need to worry about the money and food hidden in the mountain. Whether it is to defend the city or to fight, it can be studied. However, taking such a risk for an unimportant Donghai County seems a bit inappropriate.
It's worth it.
In fact, everyone knows in their hearts that the appearance of unity among the various forces in Xuzhou is only temporary. As soon as the pressure from the Qingzhou Army disappears, Que Xuan, Cao Bao, these people will definitely turn against each other immediately and fight together. As long as they return to Qingzhou,
Just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, waiting for them to slowly consume each other.
As for whether Cao Bao and others will take advantage of the victory and attack Mount Tai or Langya...
Everyone is eager for them to do this. It is easy to come but difficult to leave. The terrain in Langya and Mount Tai is not as good as that of the East China Sea. There are many terrains that can be used for ambushes. Xu Huang can be attacked from both sides at any time, not to mention the mere Cao Bao and Que.
Xuan, even if Cao Cao comes, I dare not say that I can escape unscathed.
Therefore, there was no need to discuss too much, and everyone quickly reached a consensus.
Wang Yu looked around and took in everyone's expressions. He knew what everyone was worried about, and it was nothing more than weighing the pros and cons. He believed that if he were not here, neither Zhao Yun nor Wei Yan would give up so easily.
of.
After thinking about it, he finally said nothing. The enemy's situation was still very vague, and he didn't have any good strategies to defeat the enemy. Talking empty words and shouting slogans was not his style. He might as well do what Zhuge Liang said and test it out first.
alright.
If the enemy is eager for success, even if they are outnumbered, they can still find opportunities.
"Zilong, you lead your troops to attack Cao Bao. I will allocate another thousand naval troops to you. There is no need to rush for a battle. All you need to do is harass him day and night and delay his journey."
"I will obey your orders!" Zhao Yun clasped his fists in response.
Wang Yu turned to Wei Yan: "Chang Wen led the army to attack Que Xuan. There is no need to fight. All you need to do is destroy the temples along the way and burn the Buddha statues. If conditions permit, you can expand the area and extend it all the way to Xiapi."
"...I will obey the order!" Wei Yan hesitated for a moment before accepting the order.
After hearing Wang Yu's instructions to Zhao Yun, Wei Yan could understand the purpose of Wang Yu's order. The more devout and firm Que Xuan's faith is, the easier it is to be angered. This can only be achieved if the enemy's two armies advance in parallel.
In a pincer attack, once the sequence is determined, each one sent to the door will be defeated.
Of course, the strength of the two enemy armies far exceeds that of the Qingzhou Army. Even if they form a situation of defeating each one, they may not be able to successfully achieve their goals. But dividing the enemy armies and scattering them with targeted attacks is the essence of the art of war. Moreover, because of anger,
Raising an army is also a taboo for military strategists. Even an army of ligers and tigers is much easier to deal with after losing their minds than when they are calm.
What really surprised Wei Yan and others was that Wang Yu actually gave orders to destroy temples and burn statues in such an understatement.
Except for their ancestors, the Chinese people do not have a unified religious belief. Regardless of whether they believe in it or not, they all maintain an attitude of awe towards all kinds of gods, even if it is a religion like Buddhism that came from a barbaric area, or a religion like Taiping Tao that is used by people.
The same goes for rebellious religions.
From Wang Yu's attitude, it is obvious that he has no feelings at all about things like gods and Buddhas. It is not because of hatred or anything else, but purely because of the war situation, thinking that this is more effective.
It was beneficial to the war situation, so I did it.
On the contrary, this is much scarier than him yelling and yelling, scolding Buddhism for deceiving people and inciting people to come. The feeling is also completely different. Even Zhao Yun, who was astonishingly courageous, felt trembling and chilling at this time.